Returning to Sound Tigers lineup won't be easy for Bruton

Published 6:38 pm, Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Of the 20 Sound Tigers who dressed on Jan. 19, his last game, Bruton is one of only 10 who remain on the roster. And that's part of why it may be tough for him to get back in the lineup.

"The coaching staff, there's a lot of guys they want to get a look at," Bruton said after Tuesday's practice at the Wonderland of Ice. "I'm an older guy" -- relatively; he's 27 -- "I've got to understand. ... It's not easy."

It's the time of year when AHL teams out of the playoff race, like Bridgeport, bring in an assortment of young players on amateur tryouts and give them playing time, especially when the NHL has called for five regulars.

Bruton, meanwhile, has been out -- the team and he have only called it an upper-body injury -- for two months, but he has returned to full practice.

It's doubly frustrating for Bruton because he missed a month near the start of the season, breaking his hand on a blocked shot. He has been limited to 32 games.

"You want to play so badly and help out the team," Bruton said. "At the same time, you've got to listen to your body. It's not always an easy thing for a hockey player."

But he wants to remain a leader in the dressing room, be a good citizen in the community -- he and Scott Mayfield visited Wilbur Cross School in Bridgeport last week to talk financial literacy for Junior Achievement -- to be professional about it.

The roster carousel is on full spin. A few New York Islanders draft picks could come to town after their junior-hockey seasons end, which for some could be as early as Wednesday. Bridgeport has shuttled some of its own contract players up and down from the ECHL; Ben Rosen, who played a game for Bridgeport last spring, is the latest to be called up from Stockton.

The turnover and influx of college players has pushed some players to the ECHL, pushed others out of the lineup.

"If you're in, you're in," Pellerin said. "If you're out, you've got to be a good teammate and work to get back in. You can't be selfish. You've got to be a positive influence whether you're in the lineup or not."